"Certainly... only time she seemed calm and normal was when she was singing... that's actually what truly woke me up.", Eric told Zuri.
Zuri smiled, "That's a good way to wake up to...Were you shocked when you found out that she was a mermaid eventually? I mean, after getting to know you for maybe some time, she had to show you sooner or later...I heard that you secretly courted for two years. No way she would hide that part secret for long.".
"No... it didn't last too long. Eventually I knew something was off after a few times when she kept hiding herself. No way she couldn't have anything to wear after all our meetings...", Eric chuckled. "But yeah... it was a shock.".
Zuri nodded, "Makes sense. Ariel, her name is Ariel, right? She must have been scared when she showed you...I mean, people said that Atlantica was a story, a myth for a long, long time, and merpeople must have been rarely seen if that.".
"Yeah, she was a bit worried I might do something to her, but I quickly talked her down and all that I wouldn't dare harm her. It took a bit before she was finally convinced... and after that, that's really when we started to court each other...", Eric smiled fondly.
Zuri chuckled, "Gosh, that's really sweet of you...It must have been quite interesting between you and her...A human and a mermaid...I bet you had adventures and such...I always had dreamed of being a mermaid when I was having those fairy tales at home...She must have been beautiful...I probably would be plain and ugly now if those stories of mermaids wearing seashell bras and having glossy tails are true...".
"You give yourself too little credit, Zuri.", Eric chuckled. "You're actually quite a beautiful young woman.".
Zuri blushed, looking at him, "Now you're just buttering me up.", and Eric looked at her, "It's true. You have love for your friends, your family, the sea, and that means you have a beautiful soul, and on the outside, despite the scars and all, you came out stronger because of it, and you are beautiful. If Ariel was here, she would hug you, and cheer you up with a song or some antics in the water...".
Zuri smiled softly, "You would believe that Ariel would like me despite...well, everything I am?".
"Ariel was never that kind of person... you'd have to be really evil or something for her to dislike you or anything.", Eric chuckled as Zuri smiled again. "That... I'm glad to hear that...", Zuri said.
Eric smiled gently, "You're very welcome. And yes, she was beautiful...Everybody probably said the same thing around her, but to me, she was gorgeous. She was a redhead, with big ocean blue eyes, flawless pale skin, and an incredible, strong green tail, almost like sea green in a way. She literally was one for adventure and so open-minded. She helped me so much with issues in my kingdom as a secret assistant for she was a princess, you know?".
"I can imagine quite a bit.", Zuri sighed as she looked out to the waters. She honestly felt guilty about what she was wanting. She wanted Eric, really wanted him, but he obviously still wanted Ariel... and in a way, she sorta wanted her too as well.
Zuri spoke curiously, "Was King Triton upset at first? I mean, I heard that over the past four years, you and he would meet up at some place somewhere, to grieve and talk about her...".
"Upset about us? Or about her death?", Eric asked as she nodded in sympathy which answered that. "He was devastated. He had quite a few other daughters and all, but Ariel always told me that she looked almost the spitting image of her mother.".
Zuri inhaled sharply, "Damn, I couldn't imagine the pain at the time...", and Eric sighed, "Triton told me that he regretted the huge fight he and Ariel had, all before the whole Ursula mess...We were going to celebrate my 20th birthday as she was 18 for a few weeks already at the time...Ariel actually wanted to find a way for me to be a merman, and have our first time..We never did...From 16 to just before 18, she wasn't allowed to be beyond courtship rules and traditions, thanks to being a mermaid.".
Zuri placed her hand on his as she leaned up against him. Not saying anything, but just wanting to be there to comfort him and all.
Eric gave a small smile and was glad of the company Zuri provided over the past week and up to now. So many different conversations, small and big, and this addition of this deep conversation, Eric feels a little bit better in his heart.
For some minutes, they stood side by side, watching the waves and feeling the salty, cool breeze. They eventually headed downstairs to bed, and strangely, Eric didn't have any more nightmares, yet he didn't have good dreams, he just was in deep sleep.
Next morning, the whole crew was happy of the news Pippa and Adam announced about their abrupt engagement, even Eric, and Jason. The two married couples had the similar thoughts of having a private moment over the next two days, and with Jason's help, soundproofed different rooms, and the girls sterilized with the anti-pregnancy vials.
Eric's nightmares and good dreams either intensified or decreased as the anniversary got closer, and the journey itself was calm, until a storm attacked on the anniversary, going by the name of Captain Hook, and of course, his infamous ship 'The Jolly Roger'.
"Captain... we've got company...", Amelia informed John as much of the group quickly went above deck the moment Amelia spotted the hostile ship on the horizon.
"Yep... that's what I was worried about. It's Hook.", John said as he looked through the spyglass. "Either he's on patrol, or we may have intercepted his Pleasure Island route...".
Emma narrowed her eyes, "We can't afford to have him slip away and alert the Coachman and any others on Pleasure Island about us before we're able to breach and rescue Mulan and other prisoners.".
Nods of agreement, and Silver narrowed his eyes, "Moonquake.", placing his hand on the railing besides the ship's wheel, and spikes, long, jagged spikes came out of the sides of the ship, "Prepare to attack!".
"We sure this thing can take on that ship?", Jason asked. "Not sure, I get the honest feeling we might be going for a ramming and boarding, like the old Roman ships from the Punic War!", Zuri shouted.
Amelia called out, "Enough talking, crew! It will be noisy!", holding out plenty of swords in a bag, and a few clubs as well, "Reserve your energy for battle, not words!".
"Yes, Ma'am!", everyone chorused, hearing the nonsense tone in her voice, grabbing swords and clubs, and John bellowed, "Let's give them hell!", driving the ship's wheel, using the wind to increase the speed in the sails.
Under a fast couple of minutes, the two ships collided, and the crew of Captain Hook, and Hook himself is soon fighting the good guys. Blood was spilled everywhere, gore and injuries commencing, eyes focused on living and surviving as they battled.
It was loud and noisy, with the clang of swords, the thuds of clubs, the shouts and yells of war. Only Haku in his dragon form was allowed as he was able to sneak around without breathing fire and was either biting into ankles or snapping wrists.
Zuri herself was busy with one big pirate, and managed to cut him down at the legs, regaining her breath as she looked around for any more pirates she can fight. Something told her to look up, and she recognized a man on top of the main sail, kneeling with a crossbow.
It was Rico from 'Home on the Range', and he is an expert shooter. He somehow evaded the attention of the people around, and got up there, doing an order of Captain Hook. Supplied with a crossbow, and one special arrow of dark magic, he was focused on something.
Zuri followed his look of direction, and her heart clenched, seeing Eric, distracted by fighting two pirates by himself. She didn't think, only cut a rope, and swung above the whole battle, landing right near Eric, and with a push at Eric's back, and a swing of her sword at one of the pirates, she took the place of him.
The arrow of dark magic shot through her back, through a gap of her back ribs, nicked the spine, slightly paralyzing her, and pierced the bottom of her left lung...Zuri only knew the pain, screaming and shaking as she fell forward, still so awake, yet wishing for death so badly...Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she knew that if it's one arrow of dark magic, she would be saved, maybe...if Haku was right on the account of John Smith.
Zuri dropped to her knees as her eyes were still on Rico as he loaded another bolt for his crossbow. Of course, he wasn't expecting an arrow to go right through his head before he fell off into the ocean. Amelia had managed to shoot him from all the way back on the ship from the steering wheel.
"Zuri!", Eric shouted as he cleaved a smaller pirate in half before running over to her. Zuri whimpered hoarsely, "E-Eric...It hurts...", as Eric held her, "We'll get you a magical healer, Zuri! Just hold on!".
Zuri smiled weakly, her body feeling like it's on overdrive on terms of pain, "I will try...", before coughing out a bit of blood, and Eric inhaled sharply, "Damn it!", before whipping his eyes up at the upcoming Emma, "Torch the ship! We gotta get her back on our ship, find Adam's mirror! There gotta be a magical healer nearby on one of the other islands!".
Emma narrowed her eyes, hearing the kingly tone in his voice, "Yes, your majesty! Torch the pirates, the sails, everything you got, team!", slashing at one of the remaining pirates.
"Eric!", Jason called out as he ducked and just avoided the sword that Hook nearly took his head with. "You dare try to torch my ship! I'll feed you all to the sharks and send yours to the crushing abyss!", Hook roared as he and Eric dueled.
Eric scowled, "With what? Your crew is already down for good! You are destined to die in Davy Jones' Locker, if not Tartarus!", swiping and dodging with his sword, wanting to get this over with, and hold Zuri for the sake of keeping her awake.
"I can easily cut you all down, young fool!", Hook taunted as the two of them got into a saber lock. Eric was losing his grip on the blade as Hook pushed into him more before Eric swept his leg out, tripped Hook and caused him to fall backwards out of the lock, and just enough of a window for Eric to swing... and take Hook's good hand.
Hook screamed in horror, "No, not my beautiful hand! Not again!", looking at the stump when Eric stabbed into his heart, and he sneered, "Goodbye, codfish!". Hook died on the spot as Eric left him and turned around to put his attention on Zuri who's now trying to hold up her body, but failing to do so, thanks to her continuous coughing and whimpers of pain.
"Damn it...", Eric cursed as he rushed back over to her. "Come on... just hold on, okay, Zuri...".
"She got hit with one of those dark arrows. Another one might have truly been beyond our help.", Haku told him as he tried to help her.
Eric exhaled, "We need a magical healer, Haku! We can't pull the arrow otherwise we risk her more!", and Emma came up, "All pirates are dead! Somebody carry her, gently!".
Zuri clenched into Eric's shirt, "E-Eric.", looking at him, and Eric nodded, "Okay, Zuri. I got you.", gently picking her up, cradling her in his arms as she cried out as the arrow moved inside her, the ends of the arrow showing through her back.
"Is there any way we can get that out? Get her healed or something?!", Logan demanded as he finished helping light the Jolly Roger on fire. "Haku?".
"This... this is beyond anything I might be able to do. This is what killed John Smith... of course, he had three of these in him.", Haku admitted.
Emma shouted, "Get back on our ship, now!", and the team quickly ran across the ramp of the ship, and Amelia kicked it off as she was the last one. Adam ran downstairs to search in his bag, drawing out the mirror, and headed upstairs, "Mirror, please show the nearest magical healer!".
The mirror glowed, and showed a bayou, with a boat in a tree, and Emma took a deep breath, and focused on creating a huge portal as she shifted half into dragon form, and John grunted, driving the partly ruined Crescent Moon ship through the portal, leaving the smoldering, burning Jolly Roger, soon to sink to the depths of the sea.
Zuri shook and cried out as the dark magic in her body clashed with the magic of the portal as the ship passed through, clenching into Eric's shirt as she coughed furiously, blood spilling through the wound and through her lips, feeling dangerously close to the edge of death.
She whimpered, "E-Eric, I can't h-hold much longer...I'm s-sorry.", and Eric looked at her, "You're gonna be fine, Zuri, I promise!", tears falling, "Damn it, why did you do that?".
Zuri shakily smiled, "W-was it o-obvious?", weakly placing her hand on his chest, on his heart before suddenly screaming as the dark magic rushed through her lung, colliding in anger against her love for Eric, along with a bit for Ariel, and it was too much for her to stay awake as her eyes rolled back, welcoming darkness.
"Fuck!", Emma shouted as she saw her friend fall asleep, perhaps for the last time if they didn't hurry. "John, park this ship now!".
"Any direction? You just brought the Crescent Moon into the middle of a swamp!", John shouted back.
Emma was to reply when there was a flash of light at the boat on the tree, and Emma shouted, "There, that gotta be the magical healer!", not revealing that she already knew that this is Mama Odie's home, thanks to seeing the movie like the others.
John parked the ship immediately besides the tree, and they heard a strong, old voice, "I can already smell the dark magic from here! Bring her up!", and they looked up to see an old, springily woman holding up a unique club with a magical glow torch on it.
"At least we don't have to explain much...", Jason whispered and he, like the rest, were all praying that at least they could save Zuri just in time.
The crew quickly boarded the sidewalk around the tree, with Eric carrying Zuri with so much anxiety on his face, trying to figure out what she meant by that last comment of hers, and wanting to hear her voice again.
They made it to the boat, heading inside, and the woman nodded, obviously blind, "Name's Mama Odie. Put her on the bed here! Are any of you capable of healing?".
Haku spoke, "That would be me, but I am not a magical healer.", and Odie looked at him straight ahead, "As long as you help, that's enough. Rest of you, stay on this side of the boat! No need to stress the young woman out!".
Eric gently put Zuri on her side on a soft bed, murmuring, "You are strong, Zuri. Remember that.", reluctantly letting go of her, and headed to the other side of the boat with the others.
Mama Odie nodded, and whistled shrilly, and a snake suddenly appeared, pulling a curtain backwards, parting the ship into half, covering Mama Odie, Haku, and Zuri from the crew's sight.
Mama Odie called out, "Go to the cabinet on your left, take the light blue potion vial!", and Haku obeyed while Mama Odie checked on Zuri, her hands immediately going into magical healer mode, muttering as she found the arrow, "It's in her left lung, nearly pierced her spine. Where's the vial?".
Haku ran over, "I got it!", and Mama Odie nodded, "Good, pour it over the wound, it will neutralize the flow of dark magic from the arrow.".
Haku released the top of the vial as he started to pour the liquid onto where the wound was. "What about the arrow?", he asked. "Can't get it out yet, hun, not with that dark magic still in her for sure...", Mama Odie sighed as she worked fast.
Haku nodded, and Mama Odie focused on drawing the blood filling in the lung out through the hole back out but didn't realize that the blood flood was making the arrow loose, and suddenly, the arrow came out of the lung, falling as the dark magic came out, and it attacked the other organs, causing Zuri to scream out in pain, even though she's asleep.
Haku gasped, "No!", and Mama Odie growled as she pushed her healing magic into the lung, healing and fixing the tear, and shouted, "Cabinet again, but this time, the light pink potion!".
"Please tell me this isn't a waste of time!", Haku shouted as he did what he was ordered. "I don't know...", Mama Odie admitted. "I think we might be able to save her... but we're really against the clock now.".
"Yeah, only a second or two left on, it seems...", Haku muttered in frustration.